EDITORIAL: Preserve cooperative oversight of March

Making the highest use of a regional asset requires a broader vision than narrow parochialism. The civilian reuse of March Air Reserve Base should remain a joint effort of surrounding cities and Riverside County. Replacing that approach with a land grab by the cities and county would be more likely to waste the facilityâs potential than capitalize on it.

Moreno Valley wants to dissolve the March Joint Powers Authority, which oversees base redevelopment. The authority, which formed in 1993, is a joint effort of Riverside County and Moreno Valley, Perris and Riverside. But Moreno Valley Mayor Tom Owings argues that the agencyâs decisions have mainly benefited the area near Riverside, at the expense of the portions near Moreno Valley. Splitting up the land the authority oversees and putting the surrounding cities in charge of development decisions would speed up reuse and bring jobs to the region more quickly, Owings argues.

That plan has little support from other members of the joint powers agency, however. Nor should it: A cooperative, regional approach has the best chance of maximizing the benefits of base reuse, and dissolving the joint powers authority would discard that advantage for no compelling reason. Letting each city pursue its own plans is more likely to bring patchwork, inconsistent planning and development, rather than ensuring that the base becomes an economic engine for the Inland area.

A joint agency also speaks with a louder voice than the county and cities would individually. A strong regional lobbying campaign kept the federal government from closing March completely in 1993. Should the federal government undertake another round of base closings, a regional agency â" and the broad public support it represents â" could play a crucial role in keeping military jobs and activity at March.

Besides, the argument that base redevelopment has shortchanged Moreno Valley is at best dubious. Yes, the land west of Interstate 215 developed first. But that happened in part because the open land was easier to develop than parcels on the other side â" some of which, for example, have old structures that have to be removed before a new project can start. And the agency also points out that the business park benefits Moreno Valley, as well, by employing people from that city.

And Moreno Valleyâs motives in making such charges are suspect. Owingsâ call to abolish the authority, and a Moreno Valley lawsuit against the agency, appear to target the March LifeCare medical campus planned for former base land. The development just happens to be in competition with a proposed health care campus nearby in Moreno Valley â" a project of Iddo Benzeevi, the cityâs favored developer and a large contributor to city election campaigns. And the fact that the FBI raided council membersâ homes and Benzeeviâs company offices last year as part of an ongoing corruption investigation hardly helps appearances.

The entire region has a stake in making good use of the former base land, and ensuring the survival of a valuable airport. Those goals demand a collaborative approach, not a âme firstâ attitude from neighboring cities.

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